I started running about three-and-a-half years ago because I was tired of getting high cholesterol reports from my doctor. Given the option–at the age of 45–to go on cholesterol medicine or change my diet and start exercising, opting for the latter seemed a no brainer.
Running is not particularly enjoyable for me, though I have a number of 5K races now under my belt (22:10ish is my PR). Lately I’ve been running exactly 1 mile as fast as I can in our hilly subdivision. This is a pre-work workout three days a week, followed by a longer run on Saturday mornings. My PR for the mile is 5:55 in a flat school parking lot near our home.
Over the last year or so three of my ministry friends have either run half marathons (Brett Allen and Phil Wages) or a marathon (the out-of-his-mind Jay Sanders, who wrote about it here). If they had not blazed the way I doubt what follows would have happened.
Today I registered for the Secret City Half Marathon to be held in November in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It is six weeks from this weekend, so I think there is enough time. Three, four and five miles the last three weeks seems a good trend. My goal is to run 1:50 or under.
Advice?
